Your 411 August/Sept 2001

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FOUR-1-1YOUR News and

information:For the Blue Ridge Baptist Association churches,church members, and friends.

BLUE RIDGE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETINGMark your calendars now to attend the Blue Ridge Baptist Associationʼs Annual Meeting on Monday evening, October 10 at 7:00 PM.

This year we will meet at Faith Baptist Church in

Knoxville, Maryland, which is about 10 miles southwest of Frederick.

Each year we gather together for a time of worship and fellowship. We get an update from our church planters on the progress their new works are making, and we hear from Bruce Conley, our Director of Missions.

This year our theme is “Connections: Together you are the body of Christ.” It is taken from a passage in 1 Corinthians 12:27.

We always have a great time together learning about how Blue Ridge is helping our churches to serve their communities to reach them for Christ.

BRBA

Annual Meeting

AUG/SEPT 2011

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CHURCH PLANTING IS KEYFROM YOUR DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS - BRUCE CONLEY

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., has long been a mentor to me in my ministry life.  Rick has accomplished things in ministry in California that most Pastors only dream of.  His father, Jimmy Warren was a long time Southern Baptist Minister, and served for years as the Associational Director of Missions for the Baptist Association there in California.  Even with all of his success, Rick's church still supports the SBC, and the local Association of churches.  I had a chance to meet Rick's D.O.M. at a training event in Denver recently, and his relationship with the mega-church Pastor was explained to be "just another brother and Pastor-leader" in the group of churches in that part of the state.

This year, Rick was a keynote speaker at the annual Souther Baptist Convention, and he ended the Pastors’ Conference with a plea for church planting and a challenge to reach the world’s 3,800 remaining unengaged people groups with the gospel within the next decade. Warren called for pastors to either plant a church or have their churches be a parent church for a plant in the United States, or somewhere in the world where there is an unreached people group.

“For the Southern Baptist Convention to turn around, we’re going to have to change the way we keep score,” he said. “For the last 30 years, we have rewarded attendance. If you have big attendance, you get invited to speak. Friends, I have more respect for a church of 100 that’s planting churches than a church of 1,000 that hasn’t planted any. What we need to reward is

not attendance but reproduction ... not size, but sending capacity.”

Pastor Warren said it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people, and all kinds of people to plant all kinds of churches. The defining mark of a mature church, he said, is whether or not it is reproducing other churches. “All of the doomsday predictions of the SBC would turn around if everybody would start having babies,” he said. “God blesses the unselfish church.”

The Great Commission Resurgence that is now being formulated within our Convention will set a new standard for church multiplication and growth

through the planting of new mission churches. What about your church?  Have you thought about birthing a new body of Christ from your own home church to help in the efforts to reach our area for the Lord Jesus Christ??  The Blue Ridge Association is looking for churches that would be open to doing just that.

Start a conversation in your church family about whether there is a calling and passion to expand the Kingdom through helping a new church get started. 

Got questions?  You can contact me at

[email protected] or by calling (301) 821-0370.

Matthew 28:19-20  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

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Carolyn’s Heart for God

Every Sunday we hear at least 1 prayer request for someone with cancer. A lady in our church shared some wonderful insights about her personal journey with this disease.

Psalm 36:9 You are the giver of life. Your light lets us enjoy life.

Here is something Iʼve learned through my cancer treatments.

What Cancer Canʼt Do

Cancer is so limited…

It can not cripple loveIt can not shatter hopeIt can not corrode faithIt can not eat away peaceIt can not destroy confidenceIt can not kill friendshipIt can not shut out memories It can not silence courage It can not invade the soul

It can not reduce eternal life It can not quench the spirit It can not lessen the power of the resurrection

Psalm 104:34 May my thoughts please Him; I am happy

An electrician is needed now to re-work a illuminated church sign in need of repair.  The association is compiling a list of volunteers with trade skills, who can assist individuals, churches, or mission causes as needs arise.  If you can do electrical, plumbing, carpentry, or other work - please call Mae at the BRBA office at (240) 818-8760, and let us know how we can reach you.

Carpenters are also needed to build children’s games for the Blue Ridge Block Party trailer. Bruce has ideas and models to assist you.

ARE YOU AN ELECTRICIAN OR DO YOU KNOW ONE?

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Blue Ridge Baptist Association started participating in Southern Baptist DisasterRelief in 2000. In 2002, Blue Ridge placed Maryland/Delaware Baptist Conventionsfirst Recovery unit in service, that unit has responded to four hurricanes and fourmajor tornados to remove trees and debris for homes and make temporary emergencyrepairs so families would not be homeless following a disaster. Lessons learned fromour 2005 Hurricane Katrina deployment showed that Maryland/Delaware needed acommunications unit to support our disaster relief efforts. In 2007 Blue Ridgeplaced a trailer based communications unit in service. That unit proved to beinadequate for our needs. In December 2010, Blue Ridge purchased a 1995 Winnebagomotor home to replace the trailer based communications unit. Since then Volunteersfrom Faith Baptist, Virginia Avenue Baptist, First Baptist Frederick, andPoolesville Baptist, as well as volunteers from the Boy Scouts have been working onmodifying the motor home.

Our new unit when completed can sustain communications with our Disaster Reliefunits in the field and with our Southern Baptist - North American Missions DisasterOperations Center in Alpharetta, Georgia. The unit can serve as a support unit forChaplains and conduct Incident Command and Victim Assistance functions as necessary.

The unit will be able to provide communications liaison with our American Red Cross and Salvation Army partners as well as local governmental authorities utilizing ourown VHF frequencies, Amateur Radio bands and a Starband portable satellite internetsystems.

We still need about $2500.00 to complete the unit so it can be officiallycommissioned at our next state Disaster Relief Training, which will be held at FaithBaptist in Frederick County on Saturday, October 29. Persons interested in Disaster

Relief training should Contact Ellen Udovich: [email protected] Donna Shiflett:[email protected] 410.290.5290 Ext 226

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief units provide services to all people regardless oftheir faith at no charge. We make no apologies that our primary purpose is to share

the love of Christ with people in crisis.

Even though our units work in cooperation with FEMA and other government agencies,we accept no government funding. Our services are totally supported by donations and our local churches.

Donations can be made to the Disaster Communications Fund:c/o Blue Ridge Baptist Association 20810A National Pike, Boonsboro, MD 21713

DISASTER RELIEF UPDATE

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,I have an amazing opportunity to go to Haiti with MANNA Worldwide in October of this year. MANNA does just what their name suggests; they feed thousands of children every day through their feeding centers. You might not know it, but most of the worldʼs population lives on less than $2 per day income. Can you imagine feeding your family with no more than $2 a day? What about paying your bills? Itʼs a sobering thought.

In answering Godʼs call to fulfill the Great Commission I will be taking this one week trip (Oct 4-10) to one of the poorest places in the world. Haiti was a developing third world country before the earthquake of 2010, since that time it has been called a fourth world country, one of the poorest of the poor. As a result of the earthquake Haiti now has more than 320,000 orphans; a number that breaks my heart. Many of the children donʼt have adequate food, water, clothing, or shoes.

As a result of open sewage and contaminated water in the streets kids are being infected with all manner of illness simply because they donʼt have shoes to keep their feet protected. I want to help change that for some kids. We are selling shoes to take to the orphans in Haiti in order to help protect them from sickness. Through this amazing program developed by MANNA people just like you can be involved. Hereʼs how it works.

You buy a pair of shoes for $20. This cost pays for the shoes, the shipping, and makes a donation to cover the expenses of my trip to Haiti. I will then take the shoes to Haiti with me and put them on the feet of an orphan. And, I will take a card with your name on it that the child will hold up which simply says “thank-you for my shoes”. We will take a picture of that precious

child holding the shoes that you bought along with that card and I will email the picture to you.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be taking this trip. Truly Jesus had the orphans in Haiti in mind when He talked about the “least of these.” (Matt. 25:34-46) The opportunity to serve these beautiful kids makes my heart full. I know it will be difficult, I know it will be painful to see what they experience every day. But no matter how hard it is for me I know it is harder for Jesus to see. And I know that it is His desire for me to serve them for this short time.

Here is what I am asking you to do.

1.Purchase a pair of shoes, or three, or 30 for me to take. We need more than 300 pairs of shoes, please feel free to buy as many as you can (all purchases are tax-deductible).2.If you canʼt purchase a pair of shoes consider making a tax-deductible donation to help with the cost of my trip.3.Pray. Pray. Pray. This will be one of the hardest things I have ever done and I need you praying for me.

If you would like to help me make a difference in an orphanʼs life, simply make a check payable to New Hope Church, and mail it to me at 277 Scarboro Dr., Bunker Hill, WV 25413. You can specify how many pairs of shoes you would like to buy, or simply make a donation. I will make sure every shoe gets to an orphan in Haiti.

Thank you for your sacrifice and support. I know God will use this to change me. Our deadline is September 4th.

Your servant in grace,

Nathan Cherry, Associate. PastorNew Hope Church, Inwood, WV

CHERRY SEEKS TO HELP HAITIAN ORPHANS

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EVENT CALENDAR

Aug• August 3 - Ministers Fellowship Breakfast - at Barbara

Fritchie in Frederick

• August 4 - Boys Camp 2011 at Camp Wo-Me-To

• August 9 - 11:30 AM - Global Media Outreach Lunch Training session at The BCM/D Office on Columbia.

• August 11 - 12 - Willow Creek Association Leadership Summit at Riva Trace Baptist Church

• August 24 - 10 AM - BRBA Personnel Committee Meeting at the BRBA Office

• August 28 - 9 AM - Special Needs Camp at the Skycroft

• August 30 - 6 PM - BRBA Stewardship Committee meeting at the BRBA Office

Sept

• September 1 -10 AM - BRBA Nominating Committee Meeting at the BRBA Office

• September 7 - 8 AM - Ministers Fellowship Breakfast - at Red Byrd in Keedysville

• September 11 - 18 - State Missions Offering - in YOUR church!

• September 17 - English as a Second Language Conference at South Columbia Baptist

Birthdays

August1 Richard Krauss3 Ed Jordan11 Susan Smith13 Crissy Crawford14 Terry Crawford18 Christine McClellan25 Becky Krauss30 Larry Eubanks

September5 Steve Rose23 Phil Graves

Anniversaries

August6 Dan and Mille Housam8 Steve and Donna Rose

Mark your

Calendars

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Join fellow youth leaders at the LifeWay National Youth Workers Conference for three days of inspiration, encouragement, and practical how-to's for youth ministry. Hear from Pete Wilson, Thom Rainer, Kelly Minter, the Skit Guys, and more with worship led by the Chris White Band.

September 12-14, 2011LifeWay's National Youth Workers ConferenceConference fee: $125 In Nashville, TN

September 30th & Oct 1st at the 1st Mariner ArenaCost is $65

Beth's mission is to guide women everywhere into a richer, more fulfilling relationship with the Father. She is a woman of purpose, preparation, prayer and passion. It's apparent in everything she does, from teaching Sunday School at her home church to sharing herbiblical insights and observations in her Bible studies and books.

The Blue Ridge Association has been hit hard by the economy just as many of our churches have. Please pray for us as we make some very difficult decisions about our 2012 budget, because of our current deficit. IF YOUR CHURCH is behind on contributions to Association missions, please catch up as soon as you are able.

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Pleasant Valley

Rev. Clayton Clark has been selected as the new pastor. Clayton is from Maryland, but most recently served in a church in Delaware.

Virginia Avenue - Hagerstown

August 7 - Church Picnic at Byron Park in Williamsport.

Paramount Baptist Church - Hagerstown

September 17 Paramount Community Ox Roast

Covenant Baptist Church August 19 - 6:00 PM - Youth Prayer Night. Smithsburg Valley

Church Picnic/Baptism @ Skycroft, Sunday, August 21, 2 PM: picnic; 3 PM baptism; 4-5 PM all swim.

Hub City Singles www.hubcitysingles.org  is a multi-denominational ministry that offers spiritual encouragement, fellowship, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to share social activities in a safe Christ-centered  environment. It is open to all Christian  singles (divorced, widow/widower, separated, or never married).  For more information - contact Deborah at [email protected] or by calling (240) 217-4409. Want to be a “Pen Pal”? Mt. Hope Prison Ministry is looking for people to encourage the heart of a prisoner through letter-writing. Contact [email protected] CrossTrek - Urbana We are thankful for our new opportunity to have worship services, outreaches and office space in Urbana's Landon House. It is a beautiful place and good location to share the Gospel. Our summer plans include monthly worship services, a special needs VBS, and community activities. These include having tables at the health fair and farmers market.

Please pray for more "CARS IN DRIVE" Caregivers, Advocating, Relational Support in Discipleship Realizing Incredible Victory Everywhere - to join us in the journey as we "CrossTrek" with our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ in Urbana. We greatly appreciate your prayer support.  

IN THE CHURCHES...

What’s happening in your church?

Got something exciting happening at your church?

Please share it with us. We would love to know what is

happening with your congregation. Please send us

articles, updates, pictures and prayer requests. You can

send them to Mae Argilan at [email protected].

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This just in: Pastor David Coblentz broke his leg in 3 places. Comes from all that skateboarding and bungee jumping I guess. In addition to your prayers I’m sure he’d love to hear from you as he is at home recuperating.  Keep Steve Rose and family in your prayers. Donna's dad has an on-going problem with his health, and may need to go into a nursing home to stabilize his condition. Life is very hectic for their family.  Three of our churches (FBC Brunswick, Virginia Avenue, and Crossroads) are actively seeking Pastors, and another church may also be soon.  Please pray for those search committees that they may receive wisdom and guidance from God's Holy spirit regarding their searches. Pray for Baptist Global Response as teams of people do what they can to minister to disaster stricken people.  Pray for the IMB missionaries and the local Baptist churches in the midwest. Please also pray for the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the people to the gospel and that many would receive Christ. Continue to pray for BRBA's summer missionary, Christie Clark.  Pray that God would continue to bless and use her as she finishes her missionary service to BRBA churches this summer, and heads

back to Oklahoma Baptist University for the fall semester - here on our mission field.

Pray for our nation’s children as they head back to school this fall. Pray for the teachers that have our future in their hands. It is an awesome responsibility, and God alone can guide them.

James 5:16b“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Prayer is simply raising our hearts to

God

PRAYER LIGHTS

20810A National PikeBoonsboro, MD 21713

T H E N E W S J O U R N A L O F T H E B L U E R I D G E B A P T I S T A S S O C I A T I O N

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